The Fair & Lovely Alliance, a social initiative of Unilever and the Dubai Foundation for Women & Children (DFWAC), the UAE’s first licenced shelter for victims of domestic violence, child abuse and human trafficking, announced today a groundbreaking new partnership to restore confidence and self-esteem in victims of violence.Fair & Lovely Alliance and the Dubai Foundation for Women & Children have come together with a common goal to make the world a fairer place for women who have been victims of abuse and violence in Dubai. The aim of the partnership is to restore confidence and self-esteem in the victims and, in turn, empower them through education, employment and the provision of life-skills training to realize their potential to achieve success.Commenting on the agreement between the two influential organizations, Mrs. Afra Al Basti, CEO, Dubai Foundation for Women & Children, said: “We are pleased to partner with the Fair & Lovely Alliance to develop a vocational training program which will strengthen clients’ self-esteem and self-efficacy and provide them with concrete skills to rebuild their lives.”“Through this program, women will acquire skills to re-enter the labor market and build economic empowerment for themselves and their families. Our vision is that this educational foundation will serve as a protective measure to prevent their re-exposure to abuse and violence,” Mrs. Basti continued.As part of the new agreement, the Fair & Lovely Alliance Women Empowerment project will provide clients of the Dubai Foundation for Women & Children with training courses across five key areas: Basic Make-up & Hair Care, Sewing, Cooking, Health and Fitness, and Arts and Crafts. Workshops will take place on a quarterly basis with 25 participants in attendance at each of the five courses, thereby reaching out to 500 women on an annual basis. Mr Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman Unilever North Africa and Middle East, said: “The Fair & Lovely Alliance understands that education is a key pillar that can help empower women by making them capable and thus restore their self esteem.““With our stated goal to enable a billion women in Asia, Middle East and Africa to carve out their own destinies by making the world a fairer place for women, this platform is the ideal social initiative for the Fair & Lovely Alliance to help improve the lives of female victims of violence in Dubai. This will give them the opportunity to recover and realize their potential to go on to achieve success,” added Mehta. The first wave of women to feel the benefits of the partnership will commence when the new training programmes begin in early April and will take the first steps to empowering and rebuilding their self-confidence through this groundbreaking new initiative.

The Dubai Foundation for Women & Children was established in 2007 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The foundation’s primary mission is to offer victims of violence immediate protection and support services in accordance with international human rights obligations and works towards the ultimate elimination of violence towards women be it emotional, sexual or physical.

With the empowerment of women at its core, the new partnership aligns the two respected organizations under a common goal to protect, educate and rebuild the esteem of less fortunate women in Dubai.